Plan on Running Your Best

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PLAN

ON RUNNING

YOUR BEST

by Norman Marcotte

A personal guide to reaching your running goals.Includes a planning section and a one year running log section.


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Plan on running your best

Copyright Norman Marcotte 1997, 2012

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or

by any means - graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording,taping, or information storage and retrieval systems - without the written permission of

the author.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS i

FOREWORD ii

INTRODUCTION 1

SECTION A - DARE TO DREAM 5

SECTION B - REAFFIRM YOUR PURPOSE FOR RUNNING 11

SECTION C - EVALUATE YOUR RUNNING 17

SECTION D - SMART GOAL SETTING 25

SECTION E - PLAN YOUR RUNS 33

SECTION F - LOG THOSE RUNS 87

SECTION G - ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL 143

SECTION H - REAP THE REWARDS 157

SUMMARY 163

BIBLIOGRAPHY 165


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Acknowledgements, i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Over the years, I have met many people through running who have made the

experience that much more enjoyable. Some of them have had an impact on me andaffected me in my life and my running. Without their contact I would not have been ableto compete for so long and to complete this manual.

I would like to thank my sister Sonia for encouraging and supporting me in all myfollies over the years and for reviewing this manual. I would like to thank my dad Gaston

for instilling in me the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, for serving as a model for

achievement, and for reviewing this manual. I would like to thank my mother Yvette for

instilling in me a sense that I could achieve anything I wanted. I would like to thankWendy McCallum for opening my eyes and getting me on this path to enjoyable life-long

running.

I would like to thank all the people in Kingston, Ontario who have made my jobas a coach there so gratifying and enlightening, people such as Gail Coady, Suzanne and

Andr Dostaler, Michael Yearsley and Judy Millard, and Al Cantlay, Mike Weber, and

William MacDonald of the Kingston Road Runners Association.

Finally, none of this would be possible without my love Jennifer MacDonell.

Through her support and patience I was able to complete this manual. Through her keen

eyes and insight, the quality of this manual was greatly improved. Through herdedication to running she has expanded my views of training and commitment which has

affected this manual. Through her love, life has been such a high since I have met her.


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Foreword, ii

FOREWORD

Running became a part of my life at a time when I felt a need for more physical

activity. I was in reasonably good physical shape since I was following an indoorworkout program I had started when I was 16 years-old and had followed for over 7years. This program consisted of step exercises (very crude ones using the first step of a

stairway), push-ups, sit-ups, and free weights. In the summer, I was also playing some

tennis and I cycled leisurely. Over the years I had gradually increased the quantity ofeach exercise. However, this simple routine did not satisfy me anymore. I was in need of

something more challenging, something that would give me a sense of accomplishment.

At that time, I met someone who had competed in road races and triathlons. Shehad just cycled from Ottawa to Kingston, Ontario, a distance of 170 km. At that point,

that level of athletic achievement was beyond my comprehension. She suggested I watch

the local triathlon coming up which included a 2 km swim, a 55 km bike ride, andfinished with a 15 km run. Watching that event changed my life. The level ofexcitement in the athletes and spectators was contagious. I was thrilled beyond

description. I was amazed that people of all sizes, shapes and age could complete such a

demanding race. After seeing this athletic display, I convinced myself I could completethat event. Forget the fact that my running background consisted of a 4 month period in

high school. Forget also the fact that I knew how to swim but could barely finish 100 m

using freestyle. That did not matter, I was revved up.

Since it was the end of summer, I decided to start with the running. I was also in

graduate school and had few commitments and ample time on my hands. Not wanting to

get into this blind, I started by reading everything I could find on running, starting withJames Fixx's Second Book of Running. A few weeks later, I ran my first road race and

have been running consistently ever since. Since then, I have read countless books and

magazines, experienced with many training and racing strategies, and completed over

100 races. In the process, I have also dressed all my family in T-shirts received at races.All the previous years experiences and gathered knowledge are rolled up into this

manual.

The idea for this manual came to me one day in a period where my future as an

engineer was uncertain. After some deep soul-searching, I realized I would love to

coach. This desire stems in part by my positive experience assisting the coach of the

Kingston Road Runners Association. On thinking about my personal approach tocoaching, I decided that a structured approach would be the most beneficial. After many

years of running, I knew I could not use generic programs developed by others and

included in books and magazines. Too many commitments such as family and travelsprevented me from following the plans. I also found that in order to improve, I needed to

set goals or else I would never reach them. The setting of these goals developed into a

plan to reach them. I thus developed my structured approach to reaching my runninggoals.


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Foreword, iii

This workbook has thus become a formalized process for reaching running goals.

This method is not the only way to attain your goals, but I believe the structured way isthe most direct. This approach has worked for me. For the past ten years I have been

setting PB's (Personal Best) at various distances. It has also been tested on friends, and

some of their comments are incorporated here.

I hope this manual motivates you and helps you reach your goals more quickly.

Mostly, I hope you have as much fun using it as I had preparing it.

Norman Marcotte, June 1997

Fifteen years has passed since the first publication of this manual. Life has

changed in many ways and I am not the runner I used to be. For one, I encountered somehealth issues the year I last published this manual. I also got married and had three kids

over the past 10 years. After reaching peak performance in 1996, I never again set

another PB. I reached a low in terms of performance and fitness five years ago and I am

slowly building up to, if not reach the same speed, at least reach the same level of fitness.

With an additional 15 years of experiences, I took the opportunity to revisit this

manual and update as I saw appropriate. With the new technologies for sharing, it wasalso an opportunity to make it more widely available with the hope that more people can

benefit from what I have learned.

Norman Marcotte, April 2012


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Introduction, 1

INTRODUCTION

"Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your

priorities and go to work." H.L. Hunt

You can achieve anything you want. If you truly desire something, you can get it.

This is also true for runners. You do not have to be special to be a runner, but if you are a

runner, you are somewhat special. What makes runners out of the ordinary is their

dedication. Though the act of running is one of the most natural acts of the human race,running is not necessarily easy. Most activities, such as walking or cycling, can be done

at an easy pace. In running, even easy is much harder than what most people do for

physical activity. So to keep running, you have to work at it, and be somewhat dedicated.

When reading about the best runners, what sets them apart is their determination,

hard work, persistence, and a plan for achieving their goals. The level of personalcommitment will vary from the recreational runner to the competitive runner. It willdrive people to reach different personal goals. These goals can be as varied as running

continuously for half an hour, to completing a marathon, to running 3 times a week year

round, to winning an age category in a race. People run for many different reasons: for

fun, for company, to accomplish something, to travel, to meet new people, to win, formoney, for relaxation, for weight control, for health, for self-esteem. It is fascinating to

see people who start running for general fitness slowly be consumed with the urge to

improve. They become more interested in increasing their speed or the distance theycover.

No matter what the personal reason for running, it will fuel your dedication. One

of the surest ways to ensure this dedication leads to a desired achievement is by using astructured approach. This is what Plan on Running Your Best is all about. This

workbook is a personal guide that will lead you to your goals by using an approach

utilized in many facets of life and by many runners.

This guide can be used by any runner who has ever had a goal, but was not too

sure how to get there, or for any runner in need of a bit of structure. This is a structuredapproach, starting from your desires and ending with the achievement of your goals. This

workbook will cover many aspects of running to assist you to reach your goal. This

guide was designed to be used by the runner, though some sections can be reviewed by a

coach. The information contained here is not new and ground breaking, but just pulledtogether in a cohesive way. A bibliography is included at the end for those wanting to

pursue some specific sections. This book pulls together several key components related

to achieving goals. It follows a step by step approach. Since this is your workbook, you

will be the one setting your goals and achieving them. You are the only one who can setyour personal goals, who knows your desires, who knows how you feel and think, and

who will be doing the running. This manual is designed for you. A coach or a supportive


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Introduction, 2

friend can facilitate the goal setting and reaching process, but ultimately, you are the one

that must be dedicated enough to plan to reach your goals.

This guide is not about how to run. Even though it contains much information, it

will not cover all aspects related to the running. There are some wonderful books

mentioned in the bibliography that cover area not pursued in this manual. This guide isabout planning to reach your objectives step by step. Since every runner is different fromthe point of view of genetic make-up, background, motivation, you must set out your own

running program. To assist you with this, guidelines will be suggested. Some generic

programs are included, but these are only examples. The guide will cover the followingtopics.

Section A - Dare To Dream. This section gives you the opportunity to let your mindand heart wander and put yourself in your desired situation.

This will give you ideas when setting your goals.

Section B - Reaffirm Your Purpose For Running. Here you will identify and clarify

the reasons why you run. A purpose gives direction to your

goals.

Section C - Evaluate Your Running. This section helps you evaluate your present

situation as a runner and will indicate what might be

possible to achieve.

Section D - SMART Goal Setting. This is the nitty gritty of putting down on paper

what you really and realistically want to achieve as a

runner. To do this you will use your dreams and theevaluation of your present situation.

Section E - Plan Your Runs. Once you have defined your desired end state, you willneed to define a way to get there, and develop your plan.

This section will contain some guidelines around setting up

an appropriate personal running program.

Section F - Log Those Runs. Though goals and plans are set on paper, they are not set

in stone. By monitoring your progress towards your goals,

you will be able to make the necessary adjustments to yourplan or goals to meet your overall objective and purpose.

This section is basically a log book with room for some

comments and insights.


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Introduction, 3

Section G - Achieve Your Goals. This section contains powerful techniques for

achieving goals. Topics related to Commitment,

Motivation, and Racing will be covered, as well as sectionson Affirmation, Visualization, and Positive Self-Talk. It

also contains basic information related to running.

Section H - Reap The Rewards. Reaching your goal is not an end state, but just abeginning to better things. This section discusses what

happens when you reach your goal.

Some sections of this workbook are to be filled and updated regularly. This will

keep your goals fresh and exciting and you will be able to monitor your progress. The

guide covers a period of one year and once completed, should be kept as a reference toyour progression and goal setting. The structured progression outlined above will permit

you to reach your goals more rapidly than any other way. The manual was designed to be

used sequentially from Section A to H. Section F, the log section, should be used all thetime, while Section G, contains information that is always valuable. Every section you

complete will get you closer to your dreams. This book should be a living document of

your desires and accomplishments; keep it alive by using it regularly as suggested in each

section.

So grab your book, a pencil and your running shoes and set out on your own

journey towards your running heart's desire.


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4


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Section A, 5

SECTION A

DARE TO DREAM

"Every Olympic medalist has started with a dream."

The theme of this chapter is "DREAMING". Dreams and desires bringexcitement to our thoughts and gives us something to look forward to. It can motivate us

to action and get us moving towards our desired future. Dreaming makes us feel good.

Dreaming creates an excitement from within. Dreams have carried many great

runners to incredible performances, and who knows, that could be you. Most Olympians,

at one point in their lives, have dreamt of participating in the Olympic Games. Guess

what, they made it. They did not start out by knowing that they would get there, but by

dreaming they would get there. You do not need to aspire to the Olympics to dream. Nomatter what level of runner you are presently, a beginner or an experienced runner, dare

to dream.

A friend of mine had a dream to one day run the Boston Marathon. She had this

dream in her heart and it carried her through 6 marathons over the course of 4 years until

she finally qualified. She then fulfilled her dream and ran the Boston Marathon.Realizing her dream overwhelmed her with experiences and memories she will never

forget. It can be the same for everyone.

People put too many limitations on themselves. Earlier in this century, it was

scientifically demonstrated that a man could not run faster than 4 minutes for the mile. Itwas also believed that women could not run marathons because of their physiology. The

first Olympic Marathon for women was not run until 1984. Today we know those limitswere psychological, not physical. Runners are of all shapes and sizes, small, tall, light, or

heavy. All types have achieved success, from 4'10" Rosa Mota of Portugal to towering

Gelindo Bordin of Italy, both winners of the Boston Marathon. More important though,everyone can achieve personal success.

Children fantasize regularly, but many adults have stopped dreaming. All kinds

of commitments bind us too closely to reality. It is difficult to dream when work, school,or family are begging for attention. Most people belittle dreaming thinking it detracts

from reality and the everyday grind. How often have you brushed a pleasant thoughtaside with a comment such as: "It's just a dream."? Dreaming though can be the first step

out of which a clearer picture will emerge as to what you want to achieve in yourrunning. Successful runners start with a dream and dare to make it happen.

Dreaming does not need a structure, but to harness the power of dreams, you canuse the following approach. This will permit you to come up with desires that really

matter to you. This is meant to be fun and exciting, so use only what works for you.


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Section A, 6

SETTING THE MOOD

Dreams can pop into your head at any time. They can come on the bus, whileshopping, or just after you have returned from a pleasant run. Sometimes the creative

juices do not flow as well, but you can set the mood for it.

To put your mind in a state where the dreams or running desires will flow easily,you will probably need a quiet place. Choose a place where you will feel at ease and will

be able to relax in a quiet environment. Your spot could be a couch, a recliner, the floor;

you could be lying in the sun, or even sitting on a dock by a lake. Family and othercommitments will need to be forgotten for a while. Close the doors on your worries and

problems. You can put on some gentle music or you can let the natural sounds surround

you. You can also indulge in your favorite drink or dessert at the same time. The mood

should be relaxed and enjoyable.

DREAMING PROCESS

Start relaxing and let your mind become free. Start thinking about running and let

your mind wander. Visualize yourself in your running dream. Start imagining what youwould like to achieve if you had all the time, money, energy, talent and opportunity.

What would you go for if you had no limitations? Assume you have the time to train and

recover; you are full of talent just like the best runners; you have the money to get thebest equipment and the best coaches, to travel to the best races, and not to have any

worries; you have the energy to train as much as you want; you have the opportunity to

train with the best, to peak at the right time. Of course, we do not have all of these

enablers, but then again, neither did many great athletes. What we all have is a certaindistribution of these enablers that can get us where we want.

For this "Dare to Dream" exercise, if you had those five elements of time,money, energy, talent and opportunity, what would you want to achieve in your running

career? Maybe you would like to run a marathon, or run 10 km under 36 minutes; maybe

you have always dreamed of running the Boston Marathon, or to race in Paris; maybe youwant to win a race. Dare to dream and dream big.


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Section A, 7

RECORDING YOUR DREAMS

The first step towards your dream is seeing it. So write it down. Keep a pen orpencil and the workbook close by while you are dreaming. When you visualize yourself

in a situation that makes you feel good, write it down. This will reaffirm your dream.

You can then wander some more. The following pages (Exercise A1) have beendesigned so you can record your dreams. Just jot down some quick notes whensomething feels good. These dreams can also be very simple and direct such as running a

local 5 km race.

GUIDELINES FOR DREAMS

In order to get the creative juices flowing, and bring forth your deep desires aboutrunning, you should spend 1/2 hour every few days on this exercise over the course of a

couple of weeks. This will give you an opportunity to exhaust your desires and will

reaffirm the strong ones. The recurring dreams or thoughts should be highlighted.

This exercise is by no means a goal setting exercise since we all know that time,

money, energy, talent, and opportunity are in limited supplies. This exercise will

however provide you with a wish list from which specific goals will sprout. So do notlimit yourself at this point. If it sounds good and the thought appeals to you, write it

down. You will have a chance to play with these ideas later. Also, do not attempt to

associate any timeline with these dreams. This will come later as part of the goal settingsection.

For now, keep your dreams to yourself. Do not share these dreams with just

anyone. You might be able to share these with a loved one or a coach, but make sure youtrust them to support you completely beforehand. In general though, dreams are for your

eyes only. When you reach your dreams, it is a much safer time to discuss them with

others.

This dreaming exercise should be completed once or twice a year since the rest of

the time you will be concentrating on running and reaching your dreams. Of course,none of these dreams are set in stone. New ones will come up all the time, old ones will

lose their glamour. You can always go back to add or delete dreams.

How do you know if your dreams are appropriate for you? Intuitively, you willfeel this. In theory, it should be related to your purpose for running and Section B will

actually use your dreams to help you reaffirm the reason why you run. Usually, the

dreams are related to a sense of accomplishment or satisfaction. Basically, if it makes

you feel good thinking about this dream, write it down. If it just sounds good but you donot feel a thrill when you dream about it, you can probably leave it behind. For example,

completing the 100 meter dash in under 11 seconds sounds good, but if you do not like

sprints, you might not want to capture that achievement. Completing the Honolulu


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Section A, 8

Marathon when you cannot stand the heat might not be a good dream to write down, but

running in New York might be great.

One interesting and immediate useful impact dreams will have on you is to get

you excited about running. When you see yourself running in your mind's eye, you feel

compelled to go out and hit the road. Since running is action oriented, give in to thisfeeling. Complete the exercise, then lace up your shoes and run.

Now set some time for yourself, find your own space, bring your workbook and a

pen, and have pleasant dreams. When you think you have noted all your dreams, you canproceed to Section B - Reaffirm Your Purpose for Running.

EXERCISE A1 - DREAMING

IF I HAD ALL THE TIME, MONEY, TALENT, ENERGY AND OPPORTUNITY TOACHIEVE WHAT I WANT, I WOULD:

*______________________________________________________________________

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Section A, 9

EXERCISE A1 - DREAMING (continued)

IF I HAD ALL THE TIME, MONEY, TALENT, ENERGY AND OPPORTUNITY TO

ACHIEVE WHAT I WANT, I WOULD:

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10


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Section B, 11

SECTION B

REAFFIRM YOUR PURPOSE FOR RUNNING

"The only true happiness comes from squandering ourselves for a purpose." William

Cowper

So you have been dreaming. You have filled yourself with images that make you

feel good. You have probably come up with an impressive list of dreams. Out of these

dreams will emerge goals that are important to you. Dreams by themselves though maynot necessarily indicate goals that are significant for you. In order for goals to be

significant, they must be in line with your purpose for running. Dreams can be used to

make you realize what this purpose is, and what your reasons for running are.

For individuals who have a clear purpose in running, such as losing weight, orrelaxation, the dreams might already indicate this. For most people though, running has

become a multi-purpose activity without any evident purpose. From the following

approach, a clearer purpose will emerge. Knowing your purpose will make it easier tomotivate yourself to keep up the work. It can also indicate that your present level of

running is not appropriate for you, or, frightening as the possibility might be, that running

is not for you. The following exercises will help clarify and reaffirm your purpose forrunning.

Start with your worksheet on dreaming, Exercise A1. Out of the list, pick out the

10 items that thrill you the most. If some of the items are similar, you might want to

combine them. For example, if you have as your dreams, "Improve my 5 K time by 1minute, improve my 10 K time by 2 minutes, improve my half-marathon time by 5

minutes, and improve my marathon time by 10 minutes." you might want to combine allthese to something like: "I want to improve my times at all distances." Alternatively, you

might want to choose only one of the distance, your favorite one. Use the accompanied

sheet for this, Exercise B1. These dreams do not have to be in any particular order, butthey should be limited to only 10 dreams.

Once you have your top 10 dreams written down, go through them and choose

your top 3 dreams by making a checkmark beside them. You can also try to rank thedreams in order of priority from 1 to 10. Sometimes the decisions are tough, but by

limiting your list to 3, it will be easier to see your running purpose.


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Section B, 12

EXERCISE B1 - TOP 10 DREAMS

TOP 10 DREAMS FOR RUNNING

* __________________________________________________________________

* __________________________________________________________________

* __________________________________________________________________

* __________________________________________________________________

* __________________________________________________________________

* __________________________________________________________________

* __________________________________________________________________

* __________________________________________________________________

* __________________________________________________________________

* __________________________________________________________________


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Section B, 13

Once you have your Top 3 dreams, write them on page 14, Exercise B2. Under

these, write down why you want each dream, why these are important to you. What is

the real purpose in achieving each dream? For example, if one of your dreams is to runthe New York Marathon, the reason you might want to achieve this is to experience an

event with lots of people and you want the excitement to carry you to the finish line. The

purpose on the other hand might be to travel, or to meet runners from elsewhere. Thereal reason is up to you. Sometimes the purpose might not be so clear. Maybe runningjust makes you feel good. Attempt to determine what feels so good about it. It could be

physical, it could be psychological, it could be spiritual.

Some of the possible purposes or reasons associated with running dreams are

listed below, but do not limit yourself to these:

* weight control

* company* travel

* pleasure

* well being

* relaxation* health

* meeting new people

* win* fame

* money

* fortune

* accomplishment* build self-esteem

* appearance

* enjoy the outdoors* prove yourself

* reach your potential

* meet a partner* join a spouse

* freedom

* sense of belonging

* recognition


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Section B, 14

EXERCISE B2 - REASONS FOR RUNNING

TOP 3 DREAMS FOR RUNNING

* __________________________________________________________________

* __________________________________________________________________

* __________________________________________________________________

PURPOSES/REASONS

* Purpose/reason for dream 1: ____________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________


_____________________________________________________________________


_____________________________________________________________________


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Section B, 15

There might be more reasons for each dream than those identified, and you can

write these down. Once you have defined why you want to achieve your top 3 dreams,

you should have a fairly clear idea of why you run. Write this down clearly at the end ofthis chapter in Exercise B3. This will reinforce the commitment to running and let you

know the importance of running for you. This should be in the form of "I run because...",

"I run for...", or "I run to...". The statement should be brief, only one sentence.

Sometimes, by going through this exercise, people might realize that they run for

a purpose that might not be directly related to running. For example, losing weight is not

directly related to running though it is a means to lose weight. That is alright, since thepurpose of losing weight would still motivate you to run. Sometimes though the purpose

indicates that running is not appropriate. For example, if the reason is because your

neighbour runs, running might not necessarily be the activity for you, you might just need

to examine your relationship with your neighbour.

Any reason identified does not mean it is static and will not change. On the

contrary, your reasons for running will probably evolve over time. For example, it mightstart out that a person runs to lose weight, then starts feeling good about himself or

herself and attempts to meet other people, and then runs to get recognition. This change

in purpose is natural as people progress.

Whatever your purpose in running at the moment, it will direct your goals and

make sure that you spend your resources appropriately to achieve the running goals that

matter to you. Take the time and reaffirm your purpose for running.

EXERCISE B3 - RUNNING PURPOSE

PURPOSE FOR RUNNING

I RUN BECAUSE/FOR/TO _____________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________


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Section C, 17

SECTION C

EVALUATE YOUR RUNNING

"Know thyself." Socrates

In the previous section, you summarized your purpose for running. The reason orreasons you run should now be clear in your mind. Your goals in running should be

aligned with this purpose in order to bring you satisfaction. Before defining your goals

though, it is valuable to examine where you presently stand in regards to your running.Determining your present status means finding out where you have been with your

running and where it has brought you. It will also let you know what else is happening in

your life and how much you can devote to running. This will ensure that when your

goals for running are set, they are in line with your present capabilities and time

availability.

To assist you in evaluating your running, the next few exercises will attempt to

bring out the details important to running.

RUNNING ACHIEVEMENTS

Your future running will be affected by your past running and activities. For

example, if you have been running for 10 years, you will have a large base of experience

to get you started towards your future goals. If on the other hand you are a new runner,the process for reaching your goals will be slightly different. To assist you in

determining where you stand in your running, some common questions are included inExercise C1. Just by completing this exercise, you should get a good picture of your

present status even if you do not presently run. Some of the information will help you

later to make a plan to reach your running goal.


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Section C, 18

EXERCISE C1 - RUNNING ACHIEVEMENTS

How many years have you been running? __________________________________

Reflecting on the past three month:

Number of running sessions per week: ____________________________________Total running distance of running per week: ________________________________

Average distance per session: ___________________________________________

Do you complete any speed workouts? Yes ____ No ____How many times a week? ___________

What is the workout: ___________________________________________

Do you complete any long distance runs? Yes ____ No ____

How many times per month? ______

How long is the longest run? ______

Do you do any other physical activity? Yes ____ No ____

If yes, what are the activities: _____________________________________How many times per week do you do them? _________________________

How long do they last per session? _______________________________

Age: ______

Previous Personal Achievements

All time best & Year achieved Last 12 months400 m _____ _____ _____

800 m _____ _____ _____

1500 m _____ _____ _____mile _____ _____ _____

5 km _____ _____ _____

10 km _____ _____ _____15 km _____ _____ _____

half-marathon _____ _____ _____marathon _____ _____ _____


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Section C, 19

LIFE PRIORITIES

Life is not just about running. Running is simply one component that makes up a

balanced life. Since we all have priorities that need to be considered, such as work and

family, these need to be examined to determine how they fit with your running goals.

In this section, other priorities in your life will be identified and how much they

mean to you. In Exercise C2, 5 Ls of Life Priorities, identify the items that are important

to you in the different areas. This could be goals in those areas or just items that arevaluable to you. For example, you might want to get a promotion at work, travel around

the world, build a house, raise a family. These are all elements that will influence your

running. Note these down. Aspects of life have been divided into five different areas.

Examine these areas carefully and write down what matters to you.

The area identified as "Lifestyle" refers to anything related to how you live and

what you have. This could be related to material wealth, or to health items. "Labor" iseverything you do to earn an income. "Love refers to family and friends. We have to

take care and nurture our relationships if we want them to continue. "Leisure" is all the

activities we do for fun. This could be as simple as going out to dinner or watching

television, to as exciting as hiking in the Amazon. Since a large portion of our lives isspent at school or in learning situations, the time spent in "Learning" will affect your

available time. If you have to study for an exam or take courses nightly, you might have

to examine how this affects your running.


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Section C, 20

EXERCISE C25 Ls ofLIFE PRIORITIES

Labor: _________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

Love: __________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

Leisure: ________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

Learning: _______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

Lifestyle: _______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________


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Section C, 21

AVAILABLE TIME

Exercise C3 is designed to help you determine how much time you can dedicate

to running, and even help you decide which days are better. The method presented here

consists of dividing the week in 168 hours.

On the sheet, include all the activities that you do during the week. This will

include sleep, work, house items, family commitments such as children, parents, and

partners, as well as all the travelling and leisure. You should then realize how much timeyou have for training. This available time for training will have to include the travelling

to the training area, the warm-up, the preparation, the showering, etc. This will give you

an idea of how much time you can dedicate to running.

For some people, running can be such a priority that their goal will determine how

much time is required. If this is the case for you, you will probably want to complete this

exercise after the planning section E, so as to determine where to fit the training in yourschedule. Two time sheets are provided in case you want to complete this before and

after the planning stages.


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Section C, 22

EXERCISE C3 - AVAILABLE TIME FOR RUNNING

Monday Tuesday Wed. Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

6 am

7 am

8 am

9 am

10 am

11 am

12 am

1 pm2 pm

3 pm

4 pm

5 pm

6 pm

7 pm

8 pm

9 pm

10 pm

11 pm12 pm

1 am

2 am

3 am

4 am

5 am


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Section C, 23

EXERCISE C3 - AVAILABLE TIME FOR RUNNING

Monday Tuesday Wed. Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

6 am

7 am

8 am

9 am

10 am

11 am

12 am

1 pm2 pm

3 pm

4 pm

5 pm

6 pm

7 pm

8 pm

9 pm

10 pm

11 pm12 pm

1 am

2 am

3 am

4 am

5 am


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Section C, 24

INJURIES/LIMITATIONS

Almost everybody can run, even though we might have limitations. Some of

these limitations can simply be injuries that need to be monitored, while others might

simply be handicaps that need to be considered.

In Exercise C4, list all injuries or limitations that might affect your training. Also

include when the injury or limitation has occurred, how long it lasted, and the seriousness

of the event.

EXERCISE C4 - INJURIES/LIMITATIONS

Injuries/limitations Date Duration Seriousness

This chapter hopefully will give you the following information: injuries, time

available, running capacity, commitments. This information will be used later to permit

you to examine your goals and choose realistic ones.


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Section D, 25

SECTION D

SMART GOAL SETTING

"The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don't define them, learn

about them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable." Denis

Waitley

Now that you have an idea of what you want and where you are at with respect to

your running, it is now time to set some goals. Setting goals has been found to be apowerful tool to achieving success and keeping people motivated.

In this section, meaningful running goals will be set. This means that statements

will be made that reflect what you want to achieve. Since you can achieve anything you

want, but you cannot achieve everything you want, you must prioritize the list of dreamsthat has been developed.

Out of the list of dreams, you cannot possibly achieve all of them, and nor shouldyou. Going after these dreams will mean a significant investment of time, money,

energy, talent, and opportunities. Moreover, running should only be a part of your life

forming a proper balance. You will thus need to prioritize.

Prioritizing of the dreams has already been done in the previous chapter where

you have chosen the top 3 dreams. These should be items that you really desire and you

would love to achieve. These dreams though might not be achievable immediately.

Work needs to be done on defining the dreams in such a way that they will convey anactual goal.

A goal, in order to be effective and drive people towards it, should have the

following characteristics. The goal should be Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented,

Realistic, and Time-constrained. In other words, it must be a SMART goal.

SPECIFIC

The goal should be specific. Getting faster is not specific enough. Get a PB at a 5km distance is more specific. Going under 19 minutes at a 5 km distance is even better.

If the goal is only associated to running, such as losing weight, the goal could be to lose10 pounds.


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Section D, 26

MEASURABLE

The goal must be measurable. This goes along with being specific. A goaldefined specifically might already be measurable. The goal could be: To cut one minute

off my 10 km time. The distance can be measured, and the time can be measure. The

goal could also be related to training. For example, a goal might be to run 3 times a weekfor 30 minutes each time. This goal is specific and can be measured. The goal must bemeasurable or else how would you know if you have reached it.

ACTION-ORIENTED

A SMART goal must be action oriented. It cannot be a state. It must be relate to

doing something so as to indicate what needs to be done. For example, I "want to be" a

runner that can run 10 km in under 40 minutes is not as powerful as I "will" run 10 km inunder 40 minutes. The action verb will indicate what needs to be accomplished. Since

the universe rewards action, this is the way the goal should be stated.

REALISTIC

Any goal to be a motivator and get you committed to reaching it must be realistic.

When a goal is not realistic and the person does not really believe it can be reached, thenthe commitment is lacking and the effort will not be there to permit the goal to be

realized. Choosing a goal that is realistic is based on your present status as examined in

section C. If presently you are running only as a recreational athlete, it would not be toowise to have a goal to win a gold medal at the next Olympic. This would not be realistic.

A gold medal can remain a dream, but it should not be used as a goal that will indicate

action on your part. A more appropriate goal for a recreational runner who has a vision

of Olympic gold might be to complete a race, or race a certain distance at a certain time.To assist in defining what is realistic, you can use the POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENT

section below. You can also talk to a coach or very experienced runners.

TIME-CONSTRAINED

In order for a goal to move people towards it must be time-constrained. Atimeline associate with a goal will entice people to move towards the goal. "Someday

running a marathon" will not invite people to do anything towards training or completing

a marathon. "I will run the New York City Marathon in 1997" is much more effective.

The timeline set will be based on the goal itself and the present status. For example,running a 10 km under 30 minutes in the next month when the personal best is 40

minutes run 3 months ago would not be realistic. Following are some guidelines as to

how much improvement can be expected for a period of time.


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Section D, 27

POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENT

In order to assist people in determining what they should aim for, Table D1 gives

guidelines as to how much a person can improve over a certain period of time based on

their present level of performance. Table D1 is only based on personal observations andextremely rough estimates. The values presented would not necessarily apply toeverybody and are certainly not assured. The guidelines are probably more accurate for

people who have been running for 5 years or less. It also assumes the training will not

increase by more than 25 % in a cycle of 4-6 months. The cycles are explained in thePlanning section. For people who have been running for over 5 years, improvements are

still possible, but the values might not be as valid. An increase in volume would also be

required. Major improvements might be possible if the 25 % rule is violated, but this

path is fraught with uncertainty since it can lead to injury and prevent the attainment ofany running goals.


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Section D, 28

TABLE D1 - POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENT

Distance PBPersonal Best

(Minutes)

Potentialimprovement

within a cycle

(Minutes/Seconds)

Potentialimprovements

within 1 year

(Minutes/Seconds)

5 km 30 2 55 km 25 2 3

5 km 22 1 2

5 km 20 45 sec 1:30

5 km 18 30 sec 1:00

5 km 17 20 sec 45 sec

5 km 16 15 sec 30 sec

10 km 60 5 8

10 km 50 3 5

10 km 45 2 4

10 km 42 1:30 3

10 km 40 1 2

10 km 38 45 sec 1:30

10 km 37 30 sec 1

10 km 36 20 sec 45 sec

10 km 35 15 sec 30 sec

half-marathon 120 5 12





half-marathon 82 45 sec 2


half-marathon 78 30 sec 1half-marathon 76 30 sec 1


Within 6 months

marathon 5:00 20 40

marathon 4:30 15 30

marathon 4:00 10 20

marathon 3:45 5 10

marathon 3:30 5 10

marathon 3:20 4 8

marathon 3:15 3 6

marathon 3:10 2:30 5


marathon 3:00 2 4


marathon 2:50 1 2

marathon 2:45 1 2

marathon 2:40 1 2


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Section D, 29

LONG TERM AND SHORT TERM GOALS

One way to set goals is to look at the long-term goals which will then define yourshort term goals. This involves setting a 10-year, 5-year, 2-year and 1-year goals. To

choose long-term goals, you can use your dreams. Your top 3 dreams would be a good

source of goals. For every long-term goal, write out a specific statement that ismeasurable, action-oriented, realistic and includes a time element. For example, I willrun a half-marathon in 1:30 by next summer. What would be even better is to pick a race.

The number of goals related to running should not be more than three at a time and the

best number is usually one so you can focus.

Exploring long term goals is one of my favorite ways to get motivated and set

yearly goals around running. I envision where I would like to be in 1 year, 2 years, 5

years, and 10 years. What would I want to accomplish. The 1, 2, and 5 year goals can beinterim goals for the 10-year goal. For example, when I started running, I had a goal to

run a marathon. I knew I would not be ready to run a marathon in my first year, so my 1-

year goal was to run a half-marathon. My 2-year goal was to complete a marathon, andmy 3-year goal was to do a good marathon. I actually followed up on this where the first

year I competed in my first half-marathon in Kingston, the 2nd

year I completed the

Ottawa Marathon but I had to walk, while in my 3rd

year, I completed the Ottawa

marathon and did not walk.

To assist in setting these 1, 2, 5 and 10-year goals, write out the goals in Exercise

D1. Writing down the goal is crucial in the attainment of it. Writing down a SMARTgoal solidifies the goal, making it more likely it will be attained. It takes time to come up

with proper goals, but the time invested is worthwhile. Only set a maximum of three

SMART goals per year. Anything more and the likelihood of reaching your goals

diminishes drastically as your energy will be too dissipated.

For example, if a 5-year goal is to run Boston, and your present status is that you

have been running for one year and you have a PB for 10 km of 48 minutes, then thegoals might look something like this. In the 4th year, you will need to qualify with 3:40

if you are a woman under 35 year of age. In your first year you might decide to simply

complete a marathon, in your second year you might want to run under 4 hours and inyour 3

rdyear to run under 3:50. You will then have goals for the next 5 years. If you

reach your goals earlier, BONUS!. Every year you can monitor your progress.

Another way if a person does not have a long-range view is simply to start withyear 1 and if improvement is desired, see what can be done for a particular distance. For

example, for a 48 minute 10 K person, the 1st year goal might be 44 minutes, 2-year goal

might be 42 minutes, 3-year goal might be 40:30, 4th year goal might be 39:30 and 5th

year goal under 39 minutes.

An alternate way is to concentrate on items within the goals that are directly under

your control. Winning a race is not always under your control. You do not know howother competitors are training. Times are also not always under your control, i.e. heat


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Section D, 30

and wind can affect your race time. What is under your control is the amount of time

spent training and how long the distance and the effort. This will remove some of the

pressures and disappointments of waiting for the final race, and you will know on aweekly basis if you succeed. With time or placing, you get little feedback until you race

so you have to set interim goals.

Goals in running can also be related to simply completing a number of races,travelling to races, completing longer and longer distances, or simply related to running

continuously. Whatever the goals are, write them down. The sheets are included for this

purpose. Since the goals within the year are the ones you will be concentrating on, useExercise D2 to summarize your goals for the year.

The next section, Plan Your Runs, will indicate what steps are required to get you

to your goal. If the steps do not match the timeline, it will be a good reality check andindicate if the goal or the timeline of the goal should be modified.


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Section D, 31

EXERCISE D1 - LONG TERM GOALS

My 10 year goals for running are: *__________________________________________

*__________________________________________

*__________________________________________


*__________________________________________

*__________________________________________


*__________________________________________

*__________________________________________


*__________________________________________

*__________________________________________


*__________________________________________

*__________________________________________


*__________________________________________

*__________________________________________


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Section D, 32

EXERCISE D2 - YEARLY GOALS

RUNNING GOALS FOR THE YEAR ______

Goal # 1: ____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

Goal # 2: ____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

Goal # 3: ____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________


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Section E, 33

SECTION E

PLAN YOUR RUNS

Your level of success in life is directly proportional to your level of planning and

control. Charles J. Givens

Having a specific goal gives you something to aim for. What will lead you to the

goal though is following a plan. If running without a goal is like driving without a

destination, then running without a plan is like driving without an itinerary. You mightultimately get there, but you certainly will not get there the quickest or most efficient

way.

Planning involves identifying the steps required to achieve a goal, then scheduling

these steps. The old saying of "Plan your work and work your plan." could be changed to"Plan your runs and run your plan."

PART I - ONE YEAR PLAN

In the previous section, your long range goals have been brought down to a one-year goal or goals. From this goal or these goals, you can plan a full year. You should

have a maximum of three running goals in one year. Anything more makes it hard to

plan and reach these goals. A plan can cover any duration, but since the goals are for a

full year, this is a good place to start.

To start the ONE YEAR PLAN, a sheet for one year has been provided in

Exercise E1. Write the year and your goals at the top of the sheet. Every month on thecalendar has been divided into 5 weeks to ensure the full 52 weeks can be inserted. You

can write the first day of the week at the beginning of the line. This calendar is to give

you a global view only. Details will be included on a monthly calendar.

Since your SMART goals are associated with a date, often a race, write down the

date of the race or event on the calendar. On the way to reaching this goal, there might

be interim short term goals you might want to reach. For example, if you want tocomplete a marathon in the spring, you might decide to complete a half-marathon in

February, and a 30 km race in March. If you want to compete in 20 races this year, youwill need to mark down when these 20 races occur. If you want to run continuously for

the whole year, write down milestones on the calendar, such as 100 days running, 200days running, 300 days running. Write these down also on the ONE YEAR PLAN. An

example of a ONE YEAR PLAN is included in Example E1.


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Section E, 34

A word of caution, be careful of conflicting interim short term goals and a one

year goal. For example, running 20 races in 6 months is not conducive to running a great

marathon.

PHASES

To reach a running goal, athletes should go through 6 phases in their training:base, endurance, strength, speed, tapering, and resting after the race. These are related to

what is often called a Macro-cycle. These are explained below. Table E1 gives

guidelines as to the duration of each phase.

a) Base: The base is the mileage people do to remain at a certain fitness level. The higher

the fitness level, the higher the mileage during base training. During the base phase, the

mileage is probably 80 % of the maximum amount. The base phase includes anytime youare not gearing up for a race or resting from one.

b) Endurance: The endurance phase is the phase where the distance is increased andendurance is being built. The distances are increased from the base mileage to a higher

level. This build-up usually includes longer distances once a week, often called the LSD

(Long Slow Distance). This is crucial for marathoners. Some distance is also increased

during the week. The guideline around the increase is that the distance should not beincreased more than 10 % per week, and the total increase during one cycle should not

exceed 25 %. These values are to ensure that the body can adapt and thus prevent

injuries from occurring. The duration of the endurance phase varies based on thedistance of the race you are aiming for. This usually lasts from 3 to 6 weeks (Table E1).

c) Strength: The strength phase is where some strength training is being incorporated

while still possibly increasing the distance of the long run. Strength is required formaintaining speed when tired, or if completing difficult race courses. The weekly

distances are kept almost the same, but to build strength, some of the runs will be done on

hills, or on a cross-country terrain. Both, hills and cross-country, will build strength.Guidelines as to the length of this phase are included in Table E1. The actual workouts

for the hill will be explained later in the Individual Workout section.

d) Speed: The speed phase is where you build up your speed. The distance is not being

increased in this case, but is actually reduced slightly (approximately 5 to 10 %). To

work on speed, there are a variety of possible workouts. Fartlek, which means speed

play, involves running at a fast pace in the middle of a training run for a short period oftime, say between two telephone poles. The recovery is based on how you feel. Tempo

runs involves running 20-30 minutes at a fast pace in the middle of a training run. This

would be done at almost 10 K race pace. Intervals involve completing sets of distances at

a specific time and with specific rest periods. Intervals are usually completed on a track,but can be done anywhere with a bit of ingenuity. These speed workouts will be

discussed in more details in the Individual Workout section. Speed workouts can be

completed once, twice and at the most three times a week, depending on your level ofrunning. This will be discusses in the Monthly Plans section.


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Section E, 35

e) Tapering: The tapering phase involves reducing the distances while keeping the speed

so as to feel fresh and fast, and peak for that special event. This phase will permit you torecover from the training load and shed some tiredness. The tapering phase lasts 2 to 3

weeks depending on the event to be completed (Table E1). During the course of the

tapering phase, the weekly distance should be reduced to approximately 50 % of themaximum. This should be done over the course of the tapering phase. If the taperingphase is two weeks, the first week should be at 75 % of the maximum, and the second

week at 50 % including the event. For a three week taper, the weekly distance should be

reduced to 80 % in the 1st week, 60 % in the second week, and 50 % of the maximum inthe 3rd week. During this phase, the intensity of the workouts is still high so as not to

lose any speed. Peaking for an event does not mean you have to stop racing during the

rest of the cycle and other phases, but you will have to realize you might not have superb

races all the time.

f) Rest: After a hard period of training and a good race, rest is the deserved period where

the body and the mind need to recover. During this period that can last from one to 4weeks, the weekly distance is gradually increased from 50 % to the base distances (80%

of maximum).

Based on the durations in Table E1, write down the phases on the yearly calendarfor the different goals: B for Base, E for Endurance, S for Strength, SP for speed, T for

Tapering, and R for Rest. An example of a calendar is included in Example E1. For a

yearly calendar, people cannot reach more than 3 peaks in a year, and 2 if completingmarathons or longer distances. When filling out the phases start back from the goal and

do the tapering first, the speed next, the strength and endurance phase after. The rest is

then included and the times in between can be base. If not enough weeks are available,

then reduce the endurance and strength phases by the appropriate amount of weeks.

During any of these phases, nothing prevents you from racing. Simply

incorporate the desired goals in the calendar. You then need to plan around thehighlighted races.

TABLE E1

Duration of Phases

5 km Race 10 km Race Half-Marathon Marathon

Endurance 3 4 6 6

Strength 3 4 4 5Speed 4 4 4 4

Tapering 2 2 2 3

Rest 1 2 3 4

Total 13 16 19 22


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Section E, 36

Once you have 1) written down your goals on the yearly calendar, 2) included all

the interim races, 3) marked down the phases, you should have a fairly good picture ofwhat your year will look like. If writing your goals down is 50 % of the work, then

finishing the yearly plan gets you another 10 % further. The next planning step is to plan

what will happen on a monthly basis.


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Section E, 37

Exercise E1: One Year Plan GOALS: 1) ________________________________YEAR: _________________ 2) ________________________________

3) ________________________________

JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH

1. Jan.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

2. Jan.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

3. Jan.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

4. Jan.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

5. Jan.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

1. Feb.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

2. Feb.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

3. Feb.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

4. Feb.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

5. Feb.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

1. Mar.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

2. Mar.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

3. Mar.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

4. Mar.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

5. Mar.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

APRIL MAY JUNE1. Apr.___ Phase: ___

Event: _______________2. Apr.___ Phase: ___

Event: _______________

3. Apr.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________4. Apr.___ Phase: ___

Event: _______________5. Apr.___ Phase: ___

Event: _______________

1. May ___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

2. May ___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

3. May ___ Phase: ___Event: _______________4. May ___ Phase: ___

Event: _______________5. May ___ Phase: ___

Event: _______________

1. Jun.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

2. Jun.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

3. Jun.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________4. Jun.___ Phase: ___

Event: _______________5. Jun.___ Phase: ___

Event: _______________

JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER1. Jul.___ Phase: ___

Event: _______________2. Jul.___ Phase: ___

Event: _______________3. Jul.___ Phase: ___

Event: _______________4. Jul.___ Phase: ___

Event: _______________5. Jul.___ Phase: ___

Event: _______________

1. Aug.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

2. Aug.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

3. Aug.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

4. Aug.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

5. Aug.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

1. Sep.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

2. Sep.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

3. Sep.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

4. Sep.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

5. Sep.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER1. Oct.___ Phase: ___

Event: _______________2. Oct.___ Phase: ___

Event: _______________3. Oct.___ Phase: ___

Event: _______________4. Oct.___ Phase: ___

Event: _______________5. Oct.___ Phase: ___

Event: _______________

1. Nov.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

2. Nov.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

3. Nov.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

4. Nov.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

5. Nov.___ Phase: ___

Event: _______________

1. Dec.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

2. Dec.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

3. Dec.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

4. Dec.___ Phase: ___Event: _______________

5. Dec.___ Phase: ___

Event: _______________


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Section E, 38

Example E1: One Year Plan GOALS: 1) Boston Marathon 1998___________YEAR: 1998___________ 2) Fall Marathon - Oct. _____________

3) ______________________________

JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH

1. Jan.___ Phase: EEvent: ______________

2. Jan. 6 Phase: EEvent: ______________

3. Jan. 13 Phase: EEvent: ______________

4. Jan. 20 Phase: EEvent: 10 K RACE

5. Jan. 27 Phase: EEvent: ______________

1. Feb. 3 Phase: SEvent: ______________

2. Feb. 10 Phase: SEvent: ______________

3. Feb. 17 Phase: SEvent: ______________

4. Feb. 24 Phase: SEvent: ______________

5. Feb.___ Phase: _____Event: ______________

1. Mar. 3 Phase: SEvent: ______________

2. Mar. 10 Phase: SPEvent: Half-Marathon

3. Mar. 17 Phase: SPEvent: ______________

4. Mar. 24 Phase: SPEvent: ______________

5. Mar. 31 Phase: SPEvent: 10 k Race

APRIL MAY JUNE1. Apr. 7 Phase: T

Event: ______________2. Apr. 14 Phase: T

Event: ______________

3. Apr. 21 Phase: TEvent: Boston Marathon4. Apr. 28 Phase: R

Event: ______________5. Apr.___ Phase: _____

Event: ______________

1. May 5 Phase: REvent: ______________

2. May 12 Phase: REvent: ______________

3. May 19 Phase: REvent: ______________4. May 26 Phase: B

Event: 5 K Race5. May ___ Phase: _____

Event: ______________

1. Jun. 2 Phase: BEvent: ______________

2. Jun. 9 Phase: BEvent: ______________

3. Jun. 16 Phase: EEvent: ______________4. Jun. 23 Phase: E

Event: ______________5. Jun. 30 Phase: E

Event: 10 K Race

JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER1. Jul. 7 Phase: E

Event: ______________2. Jul. 14 Phase: E

Event: 15 K Race3. Jul. 21 Phase: E

Event: ______________4. Jul. 28 Phase: S

Event: ______________5. Jul.___ Phase: _____

Event: ______________

1. Aug. 4 Phase: SEvent: ______________

2. Aug. 11 Phase: SEvent: 7 Mile Race

3. Aug. 18 Phase: SEvent: ______________

4. Aug. 25 Phase: SEvent: ______________

5. Aug.___ Phase: _____Event: _____________

1. Sep. 1 Phase: SPEvent: 5 K Race

2. Sep. 8 Phase: SPEvent: ______________

3. Sep. 15 Phase: SPEvent: ______________

4. Sep. 22 Phase: SPEvent: Half-marathon

5. Sep. 29 Phase: TEvent: ______________

OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER1. Oct. 6 Phase: T

Event: ______________2. Oct. 13 Phase: T

Event: Marathon____3. Oct. 20 Phase: R

Event: ______________4. Oct. 27 Phase: R

Event: ______________5. Oct.___ Phase: _____

Event: ______________

1. Nov. 3 Phase: REvent: ______________

2. Nov. 10 Phase: REvent: ______________

3. Nov. 17 Phase: BEvent: ______________

4. Nov. 24 Phase: BEvent: ______________

5. Nov.___ Phase: _____

Event: ______________

1. Dec. 1 Phase: BEvent: ______________

2. Dec. 8 Phase: BEvent: ______________

3. Dec. 15 Phase: BEvent: ______________

4. Dec. 22 Phase: BEvent: ______________

5. Dec. 29 Phase: B

Event: ______________


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Section E, 39

PART II - MACRO-CYCLE

The Macro-Cycle refers to the period that leads to a specific goal race. It includesthe phases of Endurance, Strength, Speed, and Tapering. It is also a detailed schedule of

the weekly workouts. Defining the Macro-cycles has already been partially done in the

ONE YEAR PLAN. In completing the Macro-cycles, the following steps will be taken:

1) write down your goal for the cycle2) determine the length of the cycle based on Table E13) define the weeks of each month associated with the cycle4) include all the phases of the cycle5) write down all interim goals or races to be completed during the cycle6) write down any personal commitments that might prevent you from training

(items like trips and celebrations)7) determine your present level of running based on Table E28) determine your required training distance and level based on your goal and Table

E39) determine your training distance for every week and every day of the cycle10)determine which days will be for strength, speed workouts or long runs.

Following is a more detailed description of these 10 steps. Sheets for this Macro-cycle plan have been included in Exercise E2. When using the sheets, it is advisable to

write in pencil since changes can occur later on and plans might change. One macro-

cycle should be prepared for each important goal. There should be no more than 2 or 3for the year. Once these steps have been completed, the remaining planning tasks are to

determine the effort and types of daily workouts required, which will be discussed in the

Monthly Plans and Individual Workout section that follow.

1) Write down your goal

At the top of the Plan, write down your goal. Be very precise and write aSMART goal. Every time you will look at the plan, you will know what the goal is and it

will help you get motivated and out the door.

2) Length of Cycle

Determine the length of the cycle based on Table E1. Table E1 has four different

distances with associated durations for each. Based on your goal race, you should be ableto see how long the cycle is. This has also already been done in the ONE YEAR PLAN.

If the distance that is aimed for is not on the form, choose the one that is above the

desired distance. For example, if you want to complete a 10 mile race, use the cycle for

the half-marathon.


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Section E, 40

3) Define the calendar weeks

At the side of the sheet for the macro-cycle, there is room to include the weeks ofthe months. Since the race occurs in all cases at the end of the Tapering phase, and the

date of the race should be known, identify that race on the plan, then work backwards

through the speed phase, strength phase and endurance phase, then complete the restphase. Associate dates of the beginning of the week, or days if preferred, with all ofthese. A set of plans for various distances is included at the end of the section.

4) Phases of the cycle

As part of writing the dates down, ensure you write all the phases of the cycle on

the left as per Table E1. This will assist you in planning the proper workouts.

5) Interim goals or races

As most people race regularly and have some interim goal we would like toachieve, these should be included on the plan. Identify the races you plan on running and

mark them down. Since racing will affect the normal training, they should be included.

Be aware that too much racing can impede your training plans by leaving you too tired to

complete the workouts effectively.

6) Personal Commitments.

Life is full of commitments beside our passion for running. These commitments

must not be forgotten since they will affect your training. There is no use getting

frustrated over these interruptions in training. Also, you do not want to cancel other

aspects of your life just for running. Simply identify these commitments on the scheduleand then plan around it. If on certain days you simply cannot run, identify those days.

7) Present Level

In section C Evaluate Your Running, you determined your present level of

running. In order to facilitate grouping, the ranges of running experience have beendivided into 5 different levels: Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, Champion, and Elite.

By looking at Table E2, determine where you fit presently, based on your weekly

distance and the number of time you run in a week. This is based on your Base week.

Include your base week at the top of the Macro-cycle Plan.

8) Required Level and Distance

Based on your goal, you might have a race time associated with it. On the otherhand, if your goal is to reach a certain weekly distance, then the goal is already defined.

In order to achieve your goal, you will need a certain amount of training. Table E3 is a

guideline of what is required to achieve certain time goals. Based on your goal,determine what your weekly distance and level will be required. In order to prevent any


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injury or overtraining, the goal level should not be more than one level above your

current level. If that is the case, the goal should probably be revised, or extended to a

longer period of time. The level should not be increased by more than one a year.

9) Weekly and Daily distance.

Based on the weekly distance required and the number of times running per week,define what will need to be run on a daily basis and then add up the daily distances to get

the weekly distance. The guideline for this is that you start at your base level. The

weekly distance should only be increased during the endurance phase. The distanceshould not be raised by more than 10% in one week, and the weekly distance should not

be increased by more than 25% in a cycle.

After each phase of the cycle, there should be a drop of distance of approximately10%. This will allow the body some recovery time. The weekly distance can then

gradually increase to the maximum value. To increase the distance, the LSD (Long Slow

Distance) run is usually crucial for half marathon and marathon distances. Table E4indicates how long the LSD run should be for all distances. The long run can still be

built up during the strength phase, but the total distance should not be increasing

anymore. The speed phase should have a moderate (5-10%) drop in weekly distance.

Examples of plans can be found at the end of the section for all levels and the 4 distances.You can use these as a basis to prepare your own.

10) Strength and Speed workouts

Once the daily distances have been determined, the days of the strength and the

speed workouts should be included. Table E4 will indicate how many there should be

based on the level and race distance. Speed, strength workouts and long distance runsshould be separated by at least a day. This allows the body to recover. The effort of the

runs throughout the week will thus vary between easy and hard.

You should now have a plan that suits your needs. This plan is not set in stone

and can be modified as the period progresses. The most important thing to remember isto listen to your body to avoid injury and overtraining. If you are in pain or very tired,

you might have to back off on the schedule slightly.

TABLE E2GUIDELINES FOR LEVELS

Novice Experienced Advanced Champion Elite

Running

sessions perweek

3 4 5 6 7

Distance per

week

(km)

0-20 20-40 40-70 70-120 120+


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TABLE E3

DISTANCE AND LEVEL REQUIREMENTS FOR SPECIFIC GOALS

Race

Distance

Goal

Time

Level

Female

Weekly

Distance

Female

Level

Male

Weekly

Distance

Male

5 km 30 min.25 min.

22 min.

20 min.18 min.

16 min.

15 min.

NoviceExperienced

Experienced

AdvancedChampion

Elite

Elite

15 km30 km

40 km

60 km100 km

150 km

200 km

NoviceNovice

Experienced

ExperiencedAdvanced

Champion

Elite

15 km20 km

30 km

40 km50 km

100 km

140 km

10 km 60 min.50 min.

45 min.42 min.

40 min.38 min.

36 min.

34 min.32 min.

NoviceExperienced

AdvancedAdvanced

AdvancedChampion

Champion

EliteElite

20 km40 km

50 km60 km

70 km90 km

120 km

150 km200 km

NoviceExperienced

ExperiencedAdvanced

AdvancedAdvanced

Champion

ChampionElite

20 km30 km

40 km50 km

60 km70 km

90 km

120 km150 km

Half-

Marathon

120 min.

105 min.

95 min.

90 min.85 min.

82 min.80 min.

78 min.

76 min.74 min.

72 min.

70 min.

68 min.

Experienced

Advanced

Advanced

AdvancedChampion

ChampionChampion

Elite

EliteElite

Elite

Elite

Elite

40 km

50 km

60 km

70 km80 km

100 km120 km

140 km

160 km180 km

200 km

220 km

250 km

Experienced

Experienced

Advanced

AdvancedAdvanced

ChampionChampion

Champion

ChampionElite

Elite

Elite

Elite

30 km

40 km

50 km

60 km70 km

80 km90 km

100 km

120 km130 km

150 km

160 km

170 km


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Section E, 43

TABLE E3 (continued)

DISTANCE AND LEVEL REQUIREMENTS FOR SPECIFIC GOALS

Race

Distance

Goal

Time

Level

Female

Weekly

Distance

Female

Level

Male

Weekly

Distance

Male

Marathon 5:00 hrs4:30 hrs4:00 hrs

3:50 hrs

3:40 hrs3:30 hrs

3:20 hrs

3:15 hrs

3:10 hrs3:05 hrs

3:00 hrs

2:55 hrs2:50 hrs2:45 hrs

2:40 hrs

2:35 hrs2:30 hrs

ExperiencedAdvancedAdvanced

Advanced

AdvancedAdvanced

Champion

Champion

ChampionChampion

Champion

ChampionEliteElite

Elite

EliteElite

40 km45 km50 km

55 km

60 km65 km

70 km

80 km

90 km100 km

110 km

120 km130 km150 km

180 km

200 km220 km

ExperiencedExperiencedAdvanced

Advanced

AdvancedAdvanced

Champion

Champion

ChampionChampion

Champion

ChampionChampion

Elite

Elite

EliteElite

30 km40 km45 km

50 km

60 km70 km

75 km

80 km

90 km100 km

110 km

115 km120 km130 km

140 km

150 km160 km

TABLE E4

SPEED, STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE SESSION GUIDELINES

Goal

Distance

Workouts Novice Experienced Advanced Champion Elite

5 km LSD 6 km 8-12 km 12-18 km 18-25 km 25-30 km

Speed or

Strengthper week

1 1 2 2 2

10 km LSD 8 km 10-15 km 15-20 km 20-25 km 25-30 km

Speed or

Strength

per week

1 2 2 2 2

marathon LSD 15-21 km 21-32 km 32-35 km 35-36

Speed orStrengthper week

NOTAdvised 1 1 2 2

Marathon LSD 20-28 km 28-35 km 35-38 km 35-40 km

Speed orStrength

per week

NOTAdvised 1 1 2 2


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Section E, 44

EXERCISE E2MACRO-CYCLE PLAN

GOAL: ___________________________________________________________

Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat. Sun. Total

BASE

1 ____Ph.___

2 ____Ph.___

3 ____

Ph.___

4 ____

Ph.___

5 ____

Ph.___

6 ____

Ph.___

7 ____

Ph.___

8 ____

Ph.___

9 ____

Ph.___

10 ___

Ph.___

11 ___

Ph.___

12 ___

Ph.___

13 ___

Ph.___

14 ___

Ph.___

15 ___Ph.___

16 ___Ph.___

17 ___Ph.___

18 ___Ph.___

19 ___Ph.___

20 ___Ph.___

21 ___

Ph.___

22 ___

Ph.___


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GOAL: ___________________________________________________________


BASE

1 ____Ph.___

2 ____Ph.___

3 ____

Ph.___

4 ____

Ph.___

5 ____

Ph.___

6 ____

Ph.___

7 ____

Ph.___

8 ____

Ph.___

9 ____

Ph.___

10 ___

Ph.___

11 ___

Ph.___

12 ___

Ph.___

13 ___

Ph.___

14 ___

Ph.___

15 ___Ph.___

16 ___Ph.___

17 ___Ph.___

18 ___Ph.___

19 ___Ph.___

20 ___Ph.___

21 ___

Ph.___

22 ___

Ph.___


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GOAL: ___________________________________________________________


BASE

1 ____Ph.___

2 ____Ph.___

3 ____

Ph.___

4 ____

Ph.___

5 ____

Ph.___

6 ____

Ph.___

7 ____

Ph.___

8 ____

Ph.___

9 ____

Ph.___

10 ___

Ph.___

11 ___

Ph.___

12 ___

Ph.___

13 ___

Ph.___

14 ___

Ph.___

15 ___Ph.___

16 ___Ph.___

17 ___Ph.___

18 ___Ph.___

19 ___Ph.___

20 ___Ph.___

21 ___

Ph.___

22 ___

Ph.___


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GOAL: ___________________________________________________________


BASE

1 ____Ph.___

2 ____Ph.___

3 ____

Ph.___

4 ____

Ph.___

5 ____

Ph.___

6 ____

Ph.___

7 ____

Ph.___

8 ____

Ph.___

9 ____

Ph.___

10 ___

Ph.___

11 ___

Ph.___

12 ___

Ph.___

13 ___

Ph.___

14 ___

Ph.___

15 ___Ph.___

16 ___Ph.___

17 ___Ph.___

18 ___Ph.___

19 ___Ph.___

20 ___Ph.___

21 ___

Ph.___

22 ___

Ph.___


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Section E, 49

PART III - MONTHLY PLANS AND INDIVIDUAL WORKOUTS

In this section of the planning exercise, you will be defining what workout youwill be completing every day. To do this, two options are available to you. You can

write the workouts on the Macro-cycle Plan (Exercise E2), though the space available for

this is slightly limited. The other option is to use some monthly plans provided later inthe section.

On the monthly plan, you should be transferring all the information that you have

included in the Macro-cycle plan. This would include the following:1) write down the goals2) write down the interim goals3) include all the phases4) write down any personal commitments5) define the training days6) define the daily distances

Once all this has been completed, then the individual workouts will be included.

This is what is called micro-planning, planning the fine details. As in all the previous

sections, the more precise you are in defining the plan, the better your chances at

reaching your goals.

For those who prefer already made plans, there are plans for all the 4 distances

and the five levels at the back of the section.

To choose the d

Plan on Running Your Best

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